JINYA Ramen Bar
A bowl with a strange combination of ingredients, that while good on their own, don’t go well with each other.
Sprouting Up Ramen
Ratings
Broth
Noodles
Chashu
Egg
Toppings
Overall
Date of Visit: February 2019
What I Ordered: Sprouting Up Ramen + Fresh Garlic
Cost: $11.00
Offers Extra Noodles: $1.60
Offers Extra Broth: $2.10
Review
I thought that I have been here before but I actually haven’t. They have a wide selection of different ramens with chicken, tonkotsu, and vegetable broth. They also have a laundry list of toppings to choose from. They also have specialty ramens which are cool as well. I decided to go with their classic, sprouting up ramen, that has the basics and is the staple of what I want to try. They also have lots of other dishes including rice bowls and small plates. I am super hungry so I am ready to dig in.
-
The broth is pretty thick and has a slight kick of spice to it. It is served slightly hot so it is comfortable to consume right away. It has that gelatinous thickness, but it is not creamy. They say that their tonkotsu broth is a mix of chicken and pork broth, and it is clear that this is not just a creamy pork broth. It could be much better if it was creamier and packed a stronger and more rich broth. Overall pretty good, but I wish it would be creamier.
-
The noodles are nice, thick, and square in shape. They have a really dense chew without tasting doughy. They are cooked really well and have good flavor to them. But the stupid bean sprouts get in the way and that utterly ruins it for me. However, overall the noodles are very good.
-
The noodles are certainly the star of the show, but the broth takes away from their glory. It’s like when a singer is really good, but a drum is banging away in the back taking all the attention, but isn’t necessarily good. If the broth was creamier to allow the texture and flavor of the noodles to have its share, it would be very good. Since the flavor is not creamy, it becomes background flavor after a while.
-
The chashu is very good. It is super soft and melts in the bowl and in your mouth. It hits you with a powerful punch of flavor right away, and that flavor is strong and delicious. The pork has a subtle amount of sweetness to it, but it is a good sweetness that goes hand in hand with the pork flavor of the chashu. Great cut.
-
The egg was cooked well, the white was semi firm, and the yolk was nice and creamy. However the flavor is just not there. It is overshadowed by everything else so it’s pretty subtle. The egg should have a stronger soy flavor, but it was missing.
-
The toppings are weird. The toppings include brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and bean sprouts. None of these were actually good or desired. While I do give them points for creativity, I think the bowl as a whole would be significantly better without the bean sprouts and brussels sprouts.
Overall: 6.5/10
Would not recommend. So I would have to say this is one of the weirder bowls I have had. For being their main bowl, why put brussels sprouts in it? The best parts of the bowl were the noodles and the chashu. But these were overpowered by all of the other items in the bowl. The broth was okay at first, but is nothing special after the first few bites as the flavor blends in. With other items, it seems to just detract from the item itself trying to insert its presence even if not desired. The noodles were actually quality. The were thick, and firm with good texture and subtle taste. It would be better if they were a bit more textured with more crimp and more noodle flavor. Perhaps the broth subtracted from the flavor. The chashu was great, having great flavor and melting in your mouth. But the piece was remarkably small. The egg was subtle and okay, but could do much better with more flavor and creaminess. The toppings were not desired at all. In my opinions they do not belong and the bowl would be better without them. The bowl is strange, and could be so much better. I personally would not recommend this particular bowl.
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